Chapter 262

Cecilia’s pov

A few minutes later, the words finally came out.

“My mom… ” I swallowed, trying to steady my voice.

“She doesn’t think we’re… a good match p>

I forced a laugh, but it came out hollow.

“She wants me to quit my job. Cut ties. Walk away from this thing… from you p>

Even now, I couldn’t bring myself to mention the other option she’d offered.

His voice was quiet. “Do you want to break up with me p>

He wasn’t asking for reassurance. He was asking for the truth.

I didn’t answer right away. My silence wasn’t indecision—it was calculation.

I knew what I felt. I just didn’t know what to do with it.

He kissed me, gently this time, as if trying to anchor me.

When I finally exhaled and relaxed in his arms, he murmured, “You’d miss me. Wouldn’t you p>

I kept my eyes closed and nuzzled his jaw. “You’re unfairly good at this. Who could walk away from that p>

He smiled. He knew what he meant to me, even if I hadn’t said it out loud.

Then he said, carefully, “If you can’t stand to lose me, maybe it’s time we make this permanent p>

My lashes fluttered against his chest.

The word “permanent” hung in the air like a heavy weight.

I opened my eyes but avoided that word entirely. “My mom’s serious. So I thought… maybe we could handle it another way p>

I watched his face closely.

He didn’t flinch or frown. His expression stayed perfectly neutral. Too neutral.

Something in me tensed. My instincts whispered: this smile is too smooth. Too still.

“What if we pretended to break up?” I said, bracing for the explosion.

He blinked. Then shook his head, almost laughing.

“I don’t do secrets and shadows, Cece. That’s not me p>

“I’m not talking about lying,” I pushed back quickly. “Just being… strategic. It gives us time. It gives them space. It’s temporary p>

“So,” he said slowly, “you don’t want to lose me, but you also don’t want to stand beside me publicly p>

“Labels don’t matter. What we have is real. This is just optics p>

He gave me a long look. “That’s rich, coming from someone who once said she didn’t care what people thought p>

I folded my arms. “Look, it’s either a fake breakup or a real one. You choose p>

He inhaled sharply, and for a second, I saw it—that flicker of pain behind his eyes.

Then it was gone.

“Cece, you’re asking me to compromise everything I believe in. You hate commitment, and yet I still want a future with you. That’s the impossible part p>

Even so, I knew I’d struck a chord.

Because if he were truly willing to let go, he wouldn’t be fighting me this hard.

He studied me again, this time without smiling.

I looked away first.

“Let’s not discuss the future right now,” I muttered. “Let’s just handle the present. The fake breakup is temporary. Don’t overthink it. We’re good, aren’t we p>

I ran a hand down his chest, tracing the muscle beneath his shirt.

“Cecilia… ” he sighed. “Try to take this seriously p>

“I am taking it seriously. Just not dramatically p>

He walked over to the nightstand, picked up the ointment tube, held it up to the light like it was evidence in a courtroom.

“This,” he said, “is the only honest part of you p>

My cheeks went up in flames.

In the end, we didn’t reach a decision.

But I had a feeling he’d come around.

When he came back from washing his hands, he headed straight upstairs to finish what Liam was supposed to—dinner, now improvised thanks to the chaos.

He showed up about twenty minutes later with two plates. One was mine. The other just sat there, untouched.

I curled up in a dining chair, hunched over my plate like a squirrel who hadn’t eaten since last winter.

Sebastian watched me for a bit. His expression eased up a little, but he stayed quiet.

Instead, he straightened his sleeves, fastened his cuffs, adjusted the collar of his blazer. The shift was subtle, but I knew what it meant. He was back in Alpha mode.

“You’re not eating?” I asked, glancing up at him between bites.

“Lost my appetite,” he said quietly.

The words weren’t sharp, but they landed heavy.

He moved toward the door and grabbed his keys. “I need to head home for a bit,” he added. “Finish your dinner. Text me if anything happens. And stay in. It’s getting dark p>

“Okay,” I said, forcing a too-cheerful smile. “Drive safe p>

He didn’t answer. Just nodded once, turned, and left.

The door closed behind him with a soft click that felt way too loud.

I stared at it for a full minute before moving.

The room felt twice its size without him in it. Which was ridiculous. But it was true.

Author’s pov

Sebastian had received his father’s call earlier that afternoon.

“Come home for dinner,” he’d said. “We need to talk p>

Business talk happened at the office. Dinner talk meant something personal. Which usually meant something problematic.

Probably the Whites.

Sebastian hadn’t told his father about Luna Dahlia’s ties to the Moonveil Ascendancy. But his father wasn’t blind.

When Sebastian stepped into the Black estate’s marble foyer, he heard it before he saw it.

Electronic gunfire. Pop music. Laughter.

Zaria was sprawled across the great hall’s velvet couch, game controller in hand, headset over her ears, yelling at teammates in some battle royale match.

He lightly tapped her on the forehead. “Feet down p>

“Sebas!” she yelped, tugging her headset off. “You’re back early p>

Then her expression shifted. She pulled him aside, whispering, “Mom’s gone full fairytale-mode. She’s fixated on that girl in the green dress. Like this is some Cinderella story and Denver’s her castle. Honestly, I think she’s planning to sweep the whole city, block by block p>